NUMBERS 33:40-35:34
Cities of Refuge: All the 48 cities of the Levites had the right of asylum. But the six "Cities of Refuge" were bound to protect the involuntary manslayer. This was not to protect them from justice, but to insure that justice was done, and they would be protected from avengers until they had a trial. Heb 6:18 says, "We...have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us" (Heb 6:18). When a sinner flees to Christ Jesus for refuge he is safe from the "Avenger of Blood" (God). Our High Priest will NEVER die, so we are safe forever.
Just as Moses had his Aaron, Joshua has his Eleazar. The two together represent the King-Priest ministry.
RESPONSE: God lives in the Kingdom with us, so we must never pollute it with Bloodshed or anything else. In fact, Hebrews 12:22 calls His Kingdom "the city of the Living God". We must always keep it holy. And the Roads that lead to Jesus must have good road signs and the roads must be in good repair - don't screw it up. Make it easy to reach Him.
LUKE 5:12-28
What is the main point Luke is making in his Gospel? He is writing to Theophilus to convince him of Who Jesus is. Luke shows Jesus as coming "to those in need of a physician" (Luke 5:31) - especially the lepers, tax collectors, women, Samaritans, crippled. The real story here is to answer, "Who is this Man?" Again, the Pharisees are the ones asking only their version is, "Who does this Man think He is, God?" Forgiving sin AND healing a paralytic are BOTH impossible to man. First a leper, then a cripple, and now a tax collector!
RESPONSE: The people approaching Jesus all seem to have some traits in common: desperation, reverence, urgency, humility, faith. Perhaps this is what it takes to receive a miracle. Desperation makes us bold. And Jesus nearly always gives two miracles for the price of one: healing AND forgiveness. The same traits apply to both.
PSALM 65:1-13
Kingdom Psalm #5 - Worship our Bountiful God: This Psalm is all about God - "Thou" in reference to God is used 10 times. There are all kinds of reasons to praise God, but here the personal reasons given are that He hears prayer, purges away transgression, and satisfies us with goodness.
PROVERBS 11:23
When the godless hope for anything, it is because of presumption on their part.
RESPONSE: It is a privilege and a blessing to know we've been chosen to come close to God. That He actually WANTS us close by. He "calls forth songs of joy". It is IMPOSSIBLE to be depressed when worshipping God. Even nature "shouts for joy and sings." Jesus said Himself that He came to give us Life in Abundance (John 10:10). The original language means "superabundant, superior, excessive, preeminent, exceedingly abundant, beyond measure."
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